Fangirl
by aemelia113
Summary: Marinette proclaims herself Chat's number one fan after finding out how much it means to him that she thinks he's cool. No sin (weird for me, right?), minimal angst, lots of fluff. Light Marichat. Cover art by is that a cat for every thing on tumblr


A/N: So, this is barely angsty, mostly fluff, and surprisingly for me, no sin. I just need my cat child to get the love and attention he deserves. This is loosely based off of two separate posts on Tumblr, one about the idea of Marinette being super into being Chat's top fan because she might be the only one he has and it matters a lot to him that she likes him, and the other about Marinette and Adrien switching costumes for hero appreciation day to avoid being recognized (I'm pretty sure that one has a comic). I felt like they meshed. I'm sorry that I don't know to whom I should credit the idea. My Ladybug blog has hundreds of posts and I'm not sure where to start looking. I'm new to the website, but my love for Miraculous has fueled my avid reblogging in a short time. Anyhow, enjoy a little love for Chat. Onwards and upwards!

Marinette had been seeing more of Chat Noir lately, and not as Ladybug. He showed up a lot to tap at her balcony window. Sometimes she'd meet him outside. Other times, she'd invite him in. Always, he came in strutting and posing and trying to impress her. He'd do handstands on her roof railing or backflips over her chaise lounge. She would always swoon or make the appropriate noises of amazement and he would beam at her. She supposed that he liked having someone to show off for who was actually impressed. As Ladybug, she had to be professional. She didn't have time for flirting when Paris was in danger. And besides, she had Adrien to crush on.

Every time she planned on hanging out inside, she would quickly stow all of her Adrien pictures and change her computer background before letting him in. She wondered if he noticed this delay and if so, what he thought she was doing. Knowing his ego, she guessed he probably thought she was fixing herself or her room up for him.

Somewhere along the line, the visits became less about Chat showboating for her- even though he definitely still did that- and more about spending time together as friends. Yes, she was friends with Chat Noir. It's not like she could tell anyone, though. They'd never believe her.

Their usual pattern was for him to knock, her to hide the Adrien stuff, call him down, and have him do a flip off her bed, land in a crouch, and grin at her with a "Hey, Princess." Then they would play video games, watch a movie, or just talk. They got to know each other as much as they could with his secret identity staying protected. She didn't have details, but she knew he was well-off, knew things about fashion, and only ever talked about his father, who sounded... cold, and like he wasn't around that much. Chat Noir seemed... lonely. Maybe there was more to those first few visits than showing off after all. Her life, on the other hand, was an open book. She talked about what it was like to work in the bakery, how much she liked making and designing her own fashions, her secret love of procedural cop shows, her family, Alya, and anything else that came up.

It was good, this friendship. She was finding that she actually liked the stray cat she'd unintentionally adopted, even with his penchant for puns and his over-the-top gymnastic entrances. She kept up the starstruck fangirl act whenever he felt like doing tricks because his big smile when she pretended to be completely wowed was endearing. Then, one day, everything changed.

There had been a parade for the Lucky Duo, but it was mostly about her, not Chat. As Ladybug, she tried to put him a little more in the spotlight, but the public was uncooperative, and she felt like she was making things worse by bringing attention to the fact that Chat was being neglected. Ninety percent of the cheers were her name, not his. She had to keep waving and smiling for the sake of P.R, but she wanted to shake these people. Didn't they pay attention? She was nothing without Chat. He was just as important to their partnership as she was. When the parade was over, Chat made his excuses and took off, and she did the same. She noticed he was heading in the direction of the Dupain-Cheng bakery. That was inconvenient, but it made sense that he'd want to talk to a friend after the day he'd had.

She detransformed in an alley and snuck in the back. She ran upstairs, half expecting to find Chat already in her bedroom, but ever the gentleman, he was still on the roof, waiting patiently for her invitation. She took care of the Adrien pictures as fast as she could. He needed her, but he also didn't need to see a shrine to someone else in her room when he was already feeling bummed about being second string in the public's hearts. She double checked that she'd gotten all the pictures and then called for him to come in. She was going to pretend it was just another visit, to give him some comforting normalcy, but the second he dropped down and flopped across the bed instead of jumping off of it, she knew that it was anything but a regular visit.

"Hey, Princess," he mumbled with a half-hearted smile. "It's been a bit of a rough day. I hope you don't mind if I'm not as peppy as usual."

Marinette sat down on the edge of the bed next to him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He handed her a flier clutched in his claws. She examined it. It was the announcement for the parade. She could have facepalmed. How had she not noticed that they'd put Chat behind her so far that his face was half-covered in shadow? She cared about the citizens of Paris that they saved every day, but she was a little mad at them right now for ignoring her partner.

"Oh, Chat. How could they do this? You're just as important as Ladybug," she whispered, laying a hand on his back, which was thrown off as he sat up abruptly.

"Am I, though? She's the one with the plans, the healing magic, and the way to de-evilize the akumas. All I do is break stuff and try to help as best I can. But sometimes, I just feel like I only get in the way. I almost _killed_ her when that Dark Cupid thing went down. I feel like I end up helping the villain of the week more than I'm fighting them. I'm worse than useless- I'm a hindrance to keeping people safe," he sighed.

Marinette was quiet for a few moments, gathering her thoughts. She needed to tell him all the things she'd never said as Ladybug. She put a hand on his face and turned it towards her, forcing him to look her in the eyes.

"Chat. You're _not_ in the way. You're not useless. You've saved Ladybug countless times. You're her sword, her shield. You throw yourself in harm's way to protect her to the point of being reckless. You're valuable, too. You're important. Not just to Ladybug or Paris, but to _me._ I care about you, you idiot, and it hurts me that you don't get the recognition that you deserve, but it _kills me_ that you believe those things about yourself when they are not even remotely true. You are worthy of so much more than being shoved into the shadows," she delivered passionately.

"Princess..." he murmured, covering her hand with his own, "I appreciate the sentiment, I really do, but it's just who I am. I'm the bad luck guy. It's my job to destroy everything I touch. All I bring to the table is that and my sense of humor. I _have_ to protect Ladybug so she can fix everything I break."

Marinette removed her hand from his face to shake him by the shoulders. "Shut up! Don't talk at me in archetypes. You are more than the mask. You're more than your powers and your puns," she shouted. "You're brave, and selfless, and kind. Don't think I haven't noticed how you stay behind at the ambulance whenever you can to talk to the akuma victims and make sure they're okay. During the first akuma attack, with Stoneheart, you were the one keeping cars from falling on people while Ladybug was freaking out over what to do. You saved my best friend, Alya, multiple times just during that fight. Yeah, Ladybug's an icon, but you're there in the middle of things keeping civilians safe, too. You matter, silly kitty. You're wonderful," she finished softly, resting her head on his chest.

"Marinette..." he breathed. "I- I had no idea that you felt that way."

"Of course. Ladybug needs you. Paris needs you," she insisted quietly. She hesitated to add the next part, but it was true, and he needed to hear it. " _I_ need you. You're one of my closest friends. I nearly have a heart attack every time I see you get thrown off a building or dive headfirst into danger to protect someone. Please, don't forget that at least one person cares if you get hurt and thinks that you're pretty great."

He lifted her chin with a finger. She blinked up at him, looking into his green eyes. There were tears in them. She didn't realize until he brushed them off her cheeks with his thumbs that she had some tears on her face as well. He smiled at her and pressed a kiss to her hairline.

"You're one of my best friends, too, Princess. You know me better than anybody. I need you, too. You're one of the greatest people I know. You're courageous and generous and smart, and you always know how to cheer me up. You're important to me and I care about you. I'm glad I have at least one fan in Paris," he told her.

She pulled him into a tight hug, chin pressed into his shoulder. "Thanks, kitty. I think you're cool, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. You'll see. People will come to their senses someday, but even if it takes awhile, I'll always be your number one fan," she promised.

They ended up hanging out well into the night. She snuck some extra dinner upstairs under the pretense that she was really hungry but needed to go ahead and study. They played card games, watched a movie, and Chat even modeled for her so she could work on one of her men's fashion pieces.

They said their goodbyes and the second he was out of sight, Marinette got to work on a project that had come to her during their talk. It was going to take most of the rest of the weekend, but it would be worth it to put a smile on her kitty's face. Part one at least had to be done by Monday, without exception. She called a fabric store to order something special and put a rush on it. As long as she had a say in it, Chat Noir's fanbase was going to see an exponential increase. Oh, yes. People were going to show her cat a little well-deserved, long-overdue appreciation.

Marinette was greeted by a sea of Ladybugs at school the next day. Wherever she looked, there were students dressed like her red and black clad alter ego. Why? Today was hero appreciation day, and the school had encouraged students to come dressed as their heroes. There were, of course, a few avant garde people who had come dressed as historical figures they admired or police officers or astronauts or something. But they were in the overwhelming minority. However, not as much in the minority as Chat Noir fans.

Marinette wasn't surprised that Rose and Juleka had come in the couples' costume of Ladybug and Chat Noir, but she was surprised that Rose was the one dressed as Chat. The blonde hair did stand out more than the height difference as far as distinguishing features between the heroes of Paris went. Alix had on a black beanie with cat ears and a T-shirt with Chat's green pawprint logo on it, paired with black cargo pants and green sneakers. She also had on a pair of slightly unnerving green contacts with slitted pupils to complete the look. Classic Alix. She was proud that Nino had worn some Chat Noir merch as well.

Alya, predictably, was dressed as Ladybug, but with a street clothes twist that Mari had helped design. A red and black polka dot blouse paired with a black pencil skirt and red heels and hair twisted up in a bun made Alya look like a cross between a news anchor and Ladybug, her two favorite things.

She spotted a few more Chats here and there, but not nearly enough for her liking. Marinette herself, however, put all the other Chats, few as they were, to shame. Her outfit was accurate down to the last detail, complete with belt tail, the near-invisible pockets, and the telescoping staff, though it didn't stretch as far as the real one, not being magical. She was especially proud of the clawed gloves and the mask that had subtle green lenses to make her eyes appear the same emerald as her kitty's. She kept getting compliments on her outfit, most of them teasing about how she could have been the real Chat Noir this whole time. But the best reaction of all at school was Adrien's.

When she made it to the actual classroom, he was deep in conversation with Kim behind him, also hilariously dressed as Ladybug. Adrien himself was also in a hyper-accurate cosplay of Ladybug, but he made it look cute. When Nino elbowed him, he turned and when his eyes caught on Marinette, they widened so far she thought they might pop right out of his head. His jaw hit the floor and his cheeks flushed scarlet, matching adorably with his Ladybug mask. He swallowed nervously a few times as his gaze took her in, threatening to send her spiraling into a flustered mess.

When he got over his astonishment, he cleared his throat and informed her, "You make a good Chat Noir, Marinette."

"Thanks, Adrien. Chat Noir doesn't get the love he deserves. I like your Ladybug costume, though," she replied, mercifully able to get it out without stuttering.

"Thanks. Ladybug is so cool and brave, you know? I really look up to her," he gushed.

"Yeah, she's pretty great, but she'd be nothing without Chat Noir. He keeps her safe and is an equally important part of their partnership. Together, they're an unstoppable team," Marinette pointed out.

"Wow. Sounds like someone has a crush on a certain leather-clad superhero," Chloe butted in, mockingly.

Marinette blushed. Everyone expected her to deny it, given her past record with the Adrien obsession, but they were all surprised.

"Chat Noir is a good friend, and more than decent-looking. If you want to call that a crush, it's fine by me. But I am definitely, unapologetically, Chat's number one fan," Marinette announced.

Adrien looked like he was going to pass out. The other students weren't in much better condition.

Alya would have been looking at her like " _Where did this come from?_ " if Mari hadn't already told her the plan over the phone last night. As it was, she looked deeply intrigued.

Nino was grinning and she heard him whisper, "Get it, girl."

Chloe herself was gaping like a landed fish.

These states of catatonic shock and/or enthusiasm were worsened when someone scoffed, "Pfft. By what standard?" and Marinette whipped her head towards the voice, arched an eyebrow, looking every inch the intimidating student body president she was despite being clad head to toe in tight black leather and retorted sharply.

"My standard. You think you outrank me? You wanna go?" she asked hotly.

The scoffer did not, in fact, want to go.

This was the state in which Madame Mendeleev found the class: Marinette seated with her head held high, that one guy looking appropriately chastised, and the rest of the class regarding her with looks ranging from awe to pure surprise.

Adrien still hadn't recovered by the end of class.

Chat dropped onto her roof just after supper that night.

"Hey, Princess. I like your outfit," he complimented.

"Of course you do. You're wearing it," she teased.

"So may I ask why you're dressed like this fine feline today?" he purred.

"Today was hero appreciation day at school. We were supposed to come dressed as our heroes," she explained.

"And you picked me?" he seemed genuinely surprised.

"Who else would I choose, silly kitty?" she laughed.

"You could pick Ladybug," he pointed out.

"What, just because she's a girl? That doesn't make her more of my hero than you. You've personally saved me more times than she has. You're my friend. Why would I pick anyone but you to represent?" Marinette asked.

"No, not because she's a girl. Just because of who she is in general," he insisted.

"We've been over this, kitty. I thought I made it abundantly clear that I think you are just as good as Ladybug," she huffed.

"I just- I'm not sure you understand how much I appreciate you, how much you mean to me," he admitted, stepping closer. "I saw the sea of Ladybugs at your school today when I dropped by to check on you. You were one of the only Chat Noirs, and certainly the best one. Sometimes I think you're the only one who sees me as anything other than her shadow."

She closed the remaining distance between them. "Oh, Chat. I'm your number one fan. But there are other _far_ inferior Chat lovers out there," she hummed playfully. "You'll see."

"I hope so, Princess. But you're enough," he confessed breathily.

She felt her chest tighten with emotion. Marinette wrapped her arms around her kitty and murmured her thanks into his chest. She would show him that he was loved no matter what.

The next day, Marinette was a busy bug, despite the assistance of Alya and Nino. She had thought about enlisting Adrien, but he would have impeded her focus, and if yesterday was any indication, he would also be freaking out if Chat Noir was involved. Poor boy. He'd been quite flustered by Marinette, which was a strange reversal of their usual positions. At least she wasn't wearing a leather catsuit today.

She was dressed only slightly more low-key with Chat Noir merch, wearing a cat ear beanie much like Alix's and a black T-shirt with cat whiskers and muzzle on it in white, paired with a skirt made of the fabric she'd had specially made: black with green Chat Noir pawprints. She'd made quite a few things out of that bolt. She was also wearing kitty face tights and green ballet flats. She put Alya in a Chat Noir T-shirt and hair clips, even added little green pawprint decals to her glasses. Nino was in a Chat Noir hoodie, complete with bell attached to the zipper and little ears on the hood.

But the busy part came from distributing Chat Noir merch to interested parties. Despite the lack of support on Monday, her wares were quite popular. She had buttons that had ridiculous puns on them that she knew he would like printed over his pawprint logo. Her favorites were "Chat Noir is the Cat's Meow" and "Chat Noir fan _fur_ ever." She had hats, both knit hats with cat ears and ball caps with Chat's pawprint. She had a T-shirt design that she'd get printed once she had enough requests. She had pendants, earrings, wristbands, and patches. She only charged enough for these items to cover the cost of making them. She wasn't in this for a profit. Marinette only wanted her friend to come across someone wearing one of these things and be reminded of how much he mattered to the city.

Adrien ran into her hard at work promoting the Chat merch not long before lunch would end. HE still looked completely flustered and confused, but he shyly asked her to order him a shirt and purchased a wristband, a patch, and one of each of the buttons. His face lit up when he read them, lips twitching like he was holding back a smile. It was adorable. Funny that he and Chat had the same sense of humor.

Since Chat seemed to know the goings on of her school, she wondered what he would think of her activities today. She hoped he would like it, that she was trying to get people to show their support.

Chat was ecstatic at his slowly building fan base. Marinette had been working to drum up enthusiasm for the feline superhero. She even had a few chapters of Chat fan clubs started. After weeks of hard work, she was finally able to let this project, her baby, walk on its own, to stand back and observe how it developed without her constant attention.

Now that she had brought awareness to the public about how they were neglecting an important half of the lucky duo, there was a significant group of people who were just as excited about Chat as they were about Ladybug. They were still a minority, but they were progress.

Marinette was still his number one fan, though. She kept up the habit of wearing at least one piece of Chat merch, if not wearing an entire outfit composed around the theme of her kitty. She was so devoted to showering attention and affection on him in dozens of small ways that there were rumors that the two were dating. She didn't mind. Chat was cute, and he was her best friend. She could do a lot worse.

They did seem to be moving in that direction, the slowness of which was astoundingly due to Chat's hesitation and not her own. He was a lot more reluctant to give up on unrequited love than she had been. But she could be patient. They had time. There was no need to rush things. It only meant that when they did finally collide, it would be with unbearable sweetness.

In the meantime, though, she was happy just being his number one fan.

Her kitty deserved a little love and recognition, which his Princess was all too happy to provide.


End file.
